After waking up this morning and having a cup of coffee I came across the following article in the LA Times while progressing through my daily news read:

 Homeowners forced to buy flood insurance after FEMA redraws maps

I had eerie flashbacks to our own situation here in Marana back in 2006 after moving into my house because .. well.. the same thing happened!

Some background to catch you up:

http://www.michaelkrotchie.com/fema-revising-flood-plain-maps-in-pima-county/
http://www.michaelkrotchie.com/marana-floodplain-issue-closer-to-being-resolved/

I find it frustrating that FEMA proposes “revised” floodplain maps without first consulting with the areas involved. In most cases the town/city/county(s) end up coming out of pocket for a private study to be performed to find out if FEMA’s assessment really is valid.

Here in Marana, most of the areas placed in the new floodplain were removed, with only a small portion being re-classified into the floodplain.

Essentially what is happening is that FEMA is playing the “better safe than sorry” card and drawing new maps to be in “danger zones” and then placing the onus on homeowners or government officials to prove them wrong. Don’t get me wrong, no one wants to be unsafe, but no one wants to suffer from the effects of being in a floodplain if they don’t have to.

(Just a brief note if you didn’t read the above articles, for federally backed mortgages (almost all of them are), flood insurance is required if you are designated to be in a floodplain.)

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Here is the followup article from the AZ Daily Star on the Marana floodplain issue, nothing much more than the blurb they released yesterday but a good read nonetheless.

This morning as I was driving to the office it was just beginning to sprinkle and the skies were overcast, perfect weather if you ask me. I was actually glad for the weather, and willing it to rain, because I just opened escrow with a buyer who will be performing their inspections today. The rain may hinder some of the exterior parts of the inspections but water is always your worst enemy when it comes to home maintenance.

With this weather we should be able to spot any leaks or problem areas that may have been overlooked if was dry seasons (nothing against you inspectors, these things do happen).

I’m also looking forward to this Saturday, the University of Arizona’s first football game against Idaho! (Okay, I know it’s Idaho but I’m still excited!)

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For those of you located in Marana (including me!) we can all breathe a huge sigh of relief! Just saw in the Arizona Daily Star that FEMA is expected redrawn maps to exclude much of Marana that was placed in a floodplain last fall. Read my article from August 2007 about the Marana floodplain issue.

A brief excerpt:

The seven-month study, which to date has cost the town more than $300,000, shows that only about three square miles of the area in question should fall within a flood zone, and therefore would require homeowners with federally-insured mortgages to purchase flood insurance.

“This is, by far, better than any of our previous studies we’ve had,” Marana town engineer Keith Brann said. “It’s very much money well spent.”

Marana officials will brief the town council on the results of the study during a special meeting at 6 p.m. tonight.

Brann said it is expected that FEMA will complete its review of the study by Oct. 1, with new flood maps approved as soon as November.

The matter isn’t completely finished but it’s looking much better than it did at this time last year.

It certainly makes me feel better for all the homes that have been bought in Gladden Farms / Rancho Marana during the past year; I have a feeling that many homeowners (and agents) didn’t know about this storm bubbling beneath the surface.

Check the AZ Star’s website tomorrow for more details, I’ll follow up also with my thoughts and comments!

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I was recently introduced to a tool offered by Tucson’s Department of Transportation (TDOT) that I have used numerous times since: The TDOT Map Center. This website is so amazingly useful I had to share it with everyone.

First, a couple caveats. You have to use Internet Explorer to view the site and you have to install their plug-in to view the maps (free of course). After that you’re good to go!

They offer twenty mapping services, from Hydrology information to Floodplain Maps (for you Marana residents I suggest reading my old post) to HOA maps to Parking Permit maps.

After selecting a map to view you can toggle checkboxes on the left-hand side to turn on/off those options. I’ll admit, the interface isn’t as refined as I’d like it (would look much better with Flash) but who am I to complain?

Besides the map center, the TDOT website offers a multitude of resources for Tucsonans and I encourage you to explore their site when you have some freetime.

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